Good singing and flair, but sometimes it seems there are little click-noises in the voice. I would like to know which ethnical style you wanted to create because it seems to have celtic, asian and indian influences. I think you should have inserted a instrumental only section with hollywood-style epic drums and some celli to even improve the feeling more.
Overall quite good :D
Perhaps the click noises you're referring to are the the percussion in the background (or perhaps I'm having a noob moment)! You've got a good ear. My biggest inspiration is celtic music, so I wanted to create somewhat of a 'celtic mythology' styled song, hence the harp and dulcimer. I'm really inspired by traditional Asian music also, hence the shakuhachi. The Indian influence of course coming from tabla drums. I guess sometimes I fear of adding 'too much' as the sound might become overbearing. I take your suggestions on board! Thank you very much! ^ ^
Gorgeous singing, great arrangement, great production, great mood. But I have to ask. I'm hearing little imperfections in the singing here and there (like 'the' at :56, 'of' at 1:03, 'fell' at 1:14 etc.). Are those autotune artifacts? Or something else? I'm just curious.
Regardless, this song is seriously impressive and I don't envy your competitor ;-)
Thank you! I appreciate that. They're actually how I intended to perform them. My technical knowledge isn't too good, but I guess they'd be termed as a short 'riff'. For example Fe-e-el sang going from G to F to D#. Similar to trills or ornaments. I haven't used any pitch correction or autotune effects, only reverb, noise removal and equalisation on the main vocals (same for harmonies except panning too). Hope that clears it up :)
Oh a singer! I love you already. Your voice is pleasant to listen to, and I completely understand the autotune-sounding riffs people are talking about. I think it might mean you could potentially have perfect control of your pitch, but Idk. It's still really nice anyways. I appreciate the singing users here who showcase their voices frequently, as I see with the rest of your catalog of music. I personally think this could be more fusiony...in fact I think it's almost quintessentially Celtic in style. I mean, I guess I just wish this had more contrast. It's like right on the line quiet, peaceful, and melodic. It's good. I just think your voice can do more. But I like the harmonies and the writing in general...except that kind of trail off silence that happens right before the end lol.
Thank you for your response! I wouldn't say I have perfect control by far, but I've certainly worked hard on my voice these past few years. It's hard to progress, especially never having any vocal lessons, but I would rather have put the effort in to control my voice rather than just chucking autotune on to do it for me, especially on a celtic-styled song. I see that as the easy way out but from that, how could one learn to improve? My intention for the trail of silence after the upbeat section was to round off the fast-paced atmosphere. The upbeat in my mind represented the miraculously positive day, the joy of the townspeople and the maiden herself and all that she'd experienced. The short silence was an attempt to signify the day and night passing onto the next day to add some structure not only into the writing but into the song also! ^_^ All the best!
Very heart-felt. great song!
Thank you Rabid ^ ^ much appreciated
NGADM Round 1 review.
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Wow, what an amazing track. Loved the story, loved the vocals, loved the instruments. The quality is brilliant. As others have said, your voice is soft, yet compelling. Such a combination really creates an ethereal listening experience. Ho ho ho ho (...yeah that was terrible...)! The vocals were certainly the highlight of the track, and I really enjoyed the fact that you used various singing techniques to showcase your incredible talent. The story and lyrics are so captivating, and I could really picture this 'Blind Maiden' you sing of. The oriental instruments are integrated in such a wonderful way, they add remarkable depth to this track. The woodwinds in particular (Shakuhachi, Dizi, Bansuri?) are amazing; the trills of these instruments are abundant and perfectly incorporated!
As much as I enjoyed listening to the vocals, they overpowered the instrumental side of the song. The quality of the instruments and their use is great, but they are hard to hear through your voice! By turning down the vocals a notch, this song would truly shine! Also, there seems to be too much reverb associated with certain instruments, namely the piano and the percussion. Finally, the cymbal at the end of the track sounded a little out of place. Nudging it to sound a second later might do the trick! Of course, it might just be me who thinks this!
This song is beautiful! I hope you realize that you have made something quite special. :)
Score: 8.75/10
I almost forgot that I'd be getting a second review! Those are some very kind words so thank you a lot, I really appreciate it. Primarily I've always been a vocalist, singing on YouTube since I was 13, so I guess rather than creating instrumentals to surround my voice, I've gotten into a habit of creating instrumentals to support or accompany my voice! Actually, upon receiving Step's review about how he'd like to have heard more of the instruments, I focused more on the instrumental on Round 2.
You are so kind, all the very best :)